Kevin Butler and Sony settle out of court

Sony Computer Entertainment and Jerry ‘Kevin Butler’ Lambert have settled their differences out of court.

The dispute stemmed from a complaint from Sony last October that Lambert had starred as comedy CEO Kevin Butler in a Bridgestone Tyres ad – a move that Sony claimed was a breach of contract not only because they own the rights to the character but also because the ad saw Lambert playing a Nintendo Wii.

The tyre company, however, argued that Lambert was not playing Butler but instead an alternative, nameless comedy persona.

MediaDailyNews reports that Lambert has agreed that his being depicted playing a Wii would at the very least create confusion in the minds of consumers.

He has now agreed not to star in any video games related ads for two years. After that time he will be free to star in any TV ads he likes, although the Kevin butler character remains the property of SCE. He has also given Sony the right to pre-evaluate any games ads he may appear in before broadcast so they are happy the Kevin Butler IP is protected.

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